by April Welch, The Mental Clutter Coach
No matter the age of your student, morning routines can be a critical element to the back to school excitement {or lack thereof}.
While I shared my own challenges & solutions earlier this week, regarding morning routines over on TMCC, ~ I wanted to highlight the idea of music and technology this week in the Tidy Thursday column.
A few years back Real Simple Magazine recommended using music in the morning to help the routines move along. I love this tip! But let's expand on it a little, shall we?
The concept:
Musical Tasks
Figuring that most songs are between 3-5 minutes, you can teach kiddos {and most adults} to pace themselves accordingly.
example:
it takes one song to choose the snacks for my lunch & it takes 3 songs to eat my breakfast.
Beyond the reasoning that this way of moving through time is fun, this technique works. Mainly because for those organizing personalities out there who have a hard time grasping the passage of time you have now provided them with something more tangible than a static digital number.
How to capitalize on it:
While establishing the passage of time to Mat Kearney is fun, the way to get your kiddo to buy-in completely is to allow them to create the playlist themselves.
Even if you don't like their music.
Honestly, what is an hour of your day if it means the nagging and power struggles are eliminated?
Tools for the tip:
- Pandora. A free online music player.
Benifit :: the ability to discover new music,
Downfall :: music is chosen for you ... meaning the songs may be 3 minutes or 5 minutes long
- Spotify. This new to the US market site / app / software is just like iTunes but without having to purchase the albums in order to play them.
Benefit :: being able to build your own playlist and the social aspect of being able to share playlists with friends, family or teammates.
Downfall :: the waiting list, you can be pushed to the front of the line by signing up for the monthly subscription starting at $5/mo.
- iTunes or old fashioned CDs. Of course, going with the music you already own is always fun too! I can hardly believe CDs are considered 'old fashioned' these days, I still remember using the eraser end of a pencil to fix my cassette tapes!
Benefit :: allowing your kiddo to become a mix master with their morning routines playlist and trusting that the pile you put in front of them is appropriate to their age group
Downfall :: the limited resources could pose a problem with music selection by the new year, honestly you can only hear certain tunes so many times before ... well, you know.
Of course, now I'm curious!
What morning routines do you have in your back to school plans or
will you be trying the musical tasks tip this fall?
Hop on over to the VolunteerSpot Facebook Page & let me know your thoughts
Keepin it Tidy,
april
April is a Mental Clutter Expert | Mom of 2 boys | Wife to 1 Fireman | Horrible Cook | Loyal Friend | National Public Speaker who gives you permission to be imperfect.
